faff (faf)

i. [E. dial.] To move violently. fafflet (faf'l), v. i. [E. dial.; origin obscure, and hence usually said to be "onomatopoetic." Cf. maffle, stammer.] To stammer. Barret. fag1 (fag), v.; pret. and pp. fagged, ppr. fag ging. [Origin obscure; perhaps the same as flag1 (which is older), with lo of l, as in fu gleman, G. flügelmann, and in E. dial. (Norfolk) flags, turfs for burning, called vags (* fags ) in Devons hire. In intr. sense 3 and tr. 2, I am sure I fag more for fear of disgrace than for hope of profit. Mme. D'Arblay, Diary, L. 235. Let us not fag in paltry works which serve our pot and bag alone. Emerson, Civilization. Margaret, happy, unhappy, fagged up the hill; she had lost her book, she had got the rum; she was miserable herself, she knew her family would be pleased. S. Judd , Margaret, i. 6. 3. To act as a fag; perform menial services for another. "And I've made up my mind," broke in Tom, "that I won't fag except for the sixth. T. Hughes, Tom Brown at Rugby, i. 8. To fag out, in cricket , same as to field . This one blacked his shoes, that toasted his bread, others would fag out and give him balls at cricket during whole summer afternoons. Thackeray. What is now called "fielding" was formerly " fagging out." N. and Q., 7th ser., IV. 425. II. trans. 1. To tire by labor; exhaust: often with out. IMG:content-1012.png:[blocks in formation] Hardyng, Chron., Ixvi.